Pakistan: Bilawal Bhutto presses govt to end victimisation

The Express Tribune

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari ratcheted up pressure on the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Sunday, renewing opposition Pakistan People Party calls for ending the ‘victimisation’ of its senior members.

The statement comes a day after former president Asif Ali Zardari criticised the government for what he termed as a campaign against former premiers Yousaf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, and ex-federal minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who have been implicated in corruption cases.

In a veiled warning, Bilawal advised the government to deliberate over its policy before revisiting the era of political persecution.

The PPP chief said members of his party have defied persecution at the hands of dictators, who concocted baseless cases against them. “Facing jails and courts is nothing new for PPP workers,” he added.

He claimed that those who initiated false cases and references against PPP leaders in the past had later apologised.

Bilawal urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to disclose his stance on the policy of reconciliation initiated by Benazir Bhutto. Concluding his remarks, the PPP chief said that his party will never stop its struggle for the restoration of true democracy in the country and equal rights for people without any discrimination.